Amazon.co.uk Preview
In a nutshell: If you’ve ever played a Tony Hawk game, your expectations of American Wasteland will have been well and accurately managed: you’re a skater, and you skate. New additions for this outing include the ability to switch to BMXs, an expansive (and load time-free) Los Angeles cityscape, new moves and improved “Freak Out” abilities that see your rider destroying their board post-wipeout in a series of increasingly comical exercises in deck destruction.
The lowdown:
Although you can now also ride a bike, the familiar and understandably unchanged control system is as tight and responsive as ever and with the additional freedom to roam, enormous combinations of tricks are slightly easier to achieve than before. Graphically this is very much business as usual, although the Xbox 360 remix naturally looks by far the sexiest. Most exciting moment:
Finding rails, cables, benches and vehicles to grind the hell out of has never been easier or more satisfying, and combined with the new handstand tricks can produce some memorable combos. Since you ask:
As well as original music by artists from Chemical Brothers to Sham 69, American Wasteland will also feature an unreleased Tony Hawk remix of Bloc Party’s “Like Eating Glass”. The bottom line:
It’s Tony Hawk pumped up and ready for action.
Nick Gillett |  |  | | Note the nice border work on the bedding plants | Believes green hair is an anti-authority statement (his mum dyed it for him) |  |  | | A freak accident had deprived him of the ability to rotate his head | He hadn't seen Pulp Fiction, and foolishly agreed to change his "digs" in the basement | |
